I Only Want To Be With You
by LoveTheChosen
Summary: When a desperate Guy is looking for a solution, he pulls some strings and does something Luke can't even begin to imagine. HUGE thanks to AtomicScribble for betaing! Spoilers later on; Friendship Fic; OFF HIATUS: RENAMED FROM TALES OF THE ALYSS!
1. Chapter 1

Tales of the Alyss

Love the Chosen

A/N: So, this is my story. This whole thing is a mega giant cliched fanfic. It's even got the OC cliched-ness in there. Well, whatever. I had a dream like this, and then, being the fanatic I am, I elaborated. I let my mind run away with my recent dreams and obsessions, and it turns into stuff like this. So, I just had to get this out. I'll make it as good as I can, and hopefully, you'll like it! Oh, and sorry for typos and such. I'm not currently able to get to my game to find spellings of names and such, so corrections are appreciated! Love, Chosen

Chapter 1

* * *

The Fabre manor was in an uproar. No one expected the child to come this early. It had been a long and hard pregnancy for Madame Susanne Fabre. With her husband away for so long dealing with official business on behalf of the king, Lady Fabre had remained strong and had gotten through all right in the end.

But now the baby was coming. As the maids scurried through the halls, Ramdas had run to fetch the doctor. The king had been informed, and the young princess was left with her nanny. Her father was too busy sending messages with the guards to find the Duke to watch his three year old. The duke's child was almost here.

Outside the main gates of the city, a small group of men arrived to enter the city. The guards stopped them and spoke to the man at the front. As soon as the message had been relayed, the Duke ran as fast as he could to his manor near the top of the city.

As he came bursting into the hallway of his home, a doctor came from his and his wife's room.

"Ah, my Lord, your wife has given birth."

"And how is she? What of the child's health?"

"Both fine. The baby came earlier than we had hoped, so they are both very weak. Give them time, and they will recover."

"May I see them?"

"Of course, my Lord. But only for a short time, your wife needs rest."

The duke pushed the doors to his room open, and saw his beautiful Susanne holding their baby. He could see a tuft of auburn hair, and was proud to be a father once again.

"Would you… like to hold your child?"

The duke nodded and smiled at his lovely wife.

"Meet your second-born. Your daughter, Alyss."

* * *

Luke wandered the halls of his manor, looking for something to do. He had played in his room all morning, and had quickly grown tired of all the playthings his father had brought from his trips.

The two year old pushed open the familiar door and found his way into the courtyard. This was his favorite place to play. He loved chasing butterflies and squirrels, and took delight in seeing the many colorful hues of the birds.

It often got lonely, though. Princess Natalia came sometimes, and he saw her on his trips to the castle. Luke's father was almost never home, but when he was, he was much too busy to spend time with his son.

"But Mommy is different," Luke thought. "She always plays with me, even if the maids and nurses tell me I should leave her alone and play by myself. Besides, I'm going to have someone else to play with now!"

The maids told him he had a sister now. He couldn't wait to see her. He had also heard she was sick and that he was not allowed to see his mom, either.

"She's too small, Luke. She was born too early, and she was born with an illness. Your mother needs you to be good so she can be with little Alyss. They both need rest to get well again."

Luke sighed. There was nothing to do. In a few years, he was to start his lessons, and then maybe he would be allowed outside the manor, to go somewhere besides the castle! Until then, he wanted to be a good brother for Alyss. He wanted her to get better!

"I know! I'll get rid of the 'illness'!" So Luke busied himself with grand ideas on how to banish a monster like 'illness'.

When he had failed to come up with a plan, he went into the kitchen for his favorite form of distraction. He would at least get to see her today.

He waited until the maids had left, chatting idly about the latest gossip. Apparently, Duke Fabre had only come back for a few days after his mission to 'meet' with Malkuth nobles on Hod to see his daughter, before setting off on his next job.

The small red-haired child had found his target: a stack of newly cleaned dishes. The china fell to the floor with a smash. Luke slipped through the door in time to be undiscovered by the maids who had come back to see what happened.

But Luke's luck had run out. It seemed that Luke had played this trick a few too many times in his short life. Ramdas stood right in front of him, blocking the entrance to his mother's room.

"Master Luke, you know your mother needs to regain her strength. She has your sister to look after as well…"

"Ramdas?" called a faint voice from inside the blocked room.

The butler flinched and glared down at young Luke as he opened the door to answer his master's wife. "Yes, my Lady?"

"What is going on out there? Has Luke broken the dishes again?"

"I'm afraid so, my Lady. I promise, it won't happen again. It's being cleaned as we speak…"

"Then Luke is outside? Let him in please, Yulia knows he's a little starved for attention these days… We may need to hire someone to look after him…"

"Yes, Madame. I will speak to Duke Fabre about it." He opened the door wider to allow Luke access.

Luke gave Ramdas a mischievous grin. It worked every time. He ran into his mother's room, and leaped onto her bed.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I know you've been lonely lately. It will be better soon, I promise."

Susanne motioned for Luke to hold his arms out, then carefully placed Alyss in his embrace. "Be careful, she's still weak. Be sure to support her head."

"She's so little!" Luke thought. "Was I ever this small?" He smiled down at his new sister and couldn't wait till she was big and well enough to play with.

"I promise Alyss. I promise to protect you forever."

* * *

A/N: I usually have a hard time coming up with names, so I just come up with normal names with weird spellings. So her name was supposed to be Alice, but now I think about it, it could be like 'uh-liss' as well. I hope you enjoy it, please comment and feed my self-confidence. I don't know if I'll continue… I will if people like it! Thanks so much! Love, Chosen


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yep, don't own anything and I'm not profiting from any of this. My disclaimer. Thanks soooo much to reviewers!! Also, I'm not sure how much longer I can go on with this… my family was snooping around my room, and I think they found my notebook that I write this in. I'm really nervous, and don't have much self-confidence to begin with, and I might lose motivation now that they found out and were giggling when I walked in on them eating the candy I keep with my notebook. Dunno what to do now, so for now… Here's Chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Two years later

Just a few days after Alyss's second birthday, a few new faces entered the manor to be in the service of the Duke: an old gardener, Pere, and his grandson, Guy.

Pere was an old man, and couldn't do the labor that was required at his old job. He had gone to the castle to inquire about a position there, but the kind had all the servants he needed. King Ingobert had recommended that he stop by the Duke's home to question about work.

Susanne, being the kind-hearted woman she was, agreed to hire old Pere as the gardener. There were also a few jobs that his old bones would allow him to do while the snow covered the grounds, and frost prevented flowers from blooming.

Along with Pere came the blond-haired boy known as Guy. Rumors flew through the manor that his parents died when they were pursued by monsters on a pilgrimage a short time ago. The boy was staying with this man they said was his grandfather, who had just been hired. Lady Fabre agreed to give Pere's eight-year-old grandson the task of watching Luke and keeping him out of trouble.

"Here's the entrance hall, and here is the drawing room…" Ramdas drawled as he gave Pere and Guy the tour of the house. "Here is the courtyard, and here, Guy, is Master Luke's room."

Guy nodded and sighed. He was very mature for his age, as he had been through a lot in his short life. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to baby-sit this four-year-old noble.

"His lessons begin at 9 and 3 every day. He will meet with tutors then. Between his lessons, his is free to do as he pleases, as long as it does not break the rules of the house that have previously been explained to you."

"Yes, sir," said Guy.

Ramdas opened the door to Luke's room. "Luke, this is your servant, Guy. I trust you'll behave?"

"Yes, Ramdas…" The young red-head mumbled, rolled his eyes, and kept playing.

"I'll leave him in your care, Guy." Ramdas shut the door and continued leading Pere around the house.



"Er, hello Master Luke," Guy stuttered as he heard Ramdas's voice disappear into the distance.

Luke looked up long enough to glare at his new babysitter before going back to his toys. He was four, and he didn't need anyone to look after him. "It's your own fault for playing too many tricks," he told himself. On the other hand, if he ignored this 'Guy', maybe he would go away.

"So, what shall we do, Master Luke? Are you hungry?" Guy crossed the room to sit next to his charge.

Luke didn't like it. He didn't want someone to follow him everywhere he went. He turned away from where Guy sat, and as Guy inhaled to speak again, Luke stood up to stare out the window.

"Master, it's almost noon. Would you like me to…"

"Just go away!" Luke spun around to glare daggers at Guy. "They only hired you because no one here wants to be around me! So why don't you just go to your own home, and your own family and stop pretending like you want to be here?!"

Guy blinked, then a small smile spread to his lips. "Now why would you say something like that?"

"Like what?" Luke spat.

"Like no one wants to be around you? Aside from ignoring me, and making me feel completely unwelcome here, I can't see why people wouldn't like you."

"Stop kidding, I'm serious."

"Well so am I. I don't care what's happened in the past. I don't care if all these maids and servants don't want anything to do with you. I want to get to know you so I can see for myself, kay? I may not have a home or a family to go back to, but you do. I know your parents love you, so they hired me to watch out for you. And I'm going to give it my best shot. So let's start over. I'm your own personal servant. I'm going to be around a lot now, so let's not hate each other too much, okay?"

Luke stared for a minute, then realized Guy meant for him to shake his outstretched hand. He quickly shook it, and stepped back.

"Now…" Guy ruffled his short blond hair nervously. "How about we go see about some lunch?"

The next few days passed without much excitement. Luke was warming up to Guy, and was thrilled to finally have someone to play with.

Guy and Pere shared a room, which was perfect. They would wake up early in the morning to train. Pere would teach Guy many things- especially sword training.



The next week, when Guy went to wake Luke up to prepare for the day, he found Luke already awake and ready. Wondering what had inspired the sudden change from the usually lazy boy, Guy questioned Luke.

"What's going on, Master Luke? Why are you in such a hurry?" Guy had to jump out of the way to prevent Luke from crashing into him. Luke was gathering toys up from around his room and piling them on his bed. "Luke, what is it?"

But Luke just kept going and grinned. Soon, he had all sorts of toys on his bed. Puzzles, blocks, trains, everything. "After lessons, I'll tell you. We're going to eat lunch somewhere special today!"

Guy could tell Luke was very excited so he decided he'd have to wait. He didn't want to spoil his young master's fun. As Luke ran off to his first lesson, Guy headed toward the kitchens, where he was to receive his chores for the day.

The morning passed slowly. Guy was so busy with his tedious task of mopping the floors that he didn't notice when Luke came running into him, beaming. "C'mon, Guy, it's time!"

"Oh, yes, Master Luke." Guy gave his mop to another one of the servants and followed Luke. They wound through the twisted corridors to get to Luke's room.

"Here, Guy, carry these!"

"Uh…okay." Once his arms were filled with the toys Luke had gathered, they set off. They twisted through many hallways that Guy had never even been in.

At the end of their journey, they came to a plain looking door. It felt like it took forever, with Luke dropping toys all over the place, and Guy having to take the short-legged four-year-old's pace.

The door they stood at was in the corner of the manor, at the end of the hallway with the guest rooms and further still from the meeting halls. Luke twisted the knob, and Guy wondered if they were allowed to be there.

When Luke stepped in, and Guy after him, Guy thought the room was empty. The walls were plain white, the bed perfectly made. There were no signs the room was lived in at all. The only furniture was the bed, a dresser, and a small toy chest in the corner.

Luke dumped his toys on the bed and ran over to the corner. Only then did Guy realize there was a small girl sitting there playing with a doll.

"This is my sister, she's two, her name is Alyss. She's a girl, Guy, so you gotta be nice!"

Guy ran a hand through his short hair. He didn't even know Luke had a sister… was this a joke?

"Your sister, Master Luke?"

"Yeah, she's sick, so she can't walk around that far. I'm supposed to leave her alone, but she gets lonely with just maids, doctors, and Mommy…"



Guy suddenly felt angry. How could they do this to her? She was weak, but surely that didn't justify quarantine! She was a two-year-old girl, expected to play by herself, day after day?

"Hi brother!" Alyss smiled, and Luke hugged her. Alyss stood and walked slowly over to Guy, but stopped a few steps away.

"I told her you were scared of girls, Guy. She promised she wouldn't touch you."

"Hi Guy!" Alyss continued to grin. She must've been really excited to get to see her brother. Then Guy remembered seeing Luke with the same goofy grin earlier that morning. "Wanna play?"

"They really do love each other," Guy thought.

They played the rest of the morning. Luke and Alyss played with blocks and worked together on puzzles. Guy sat on the bed and watched them. When dinnertime came, and the maids came with food for Alyss, they chastised Luke and Guy.

"Mistress Alyss is not to have visitors. You know how delicate she is, Master Luke. Do you really want your sister to get better?"

When Susanne heard about Alyss's visitors, she called on Guy, and discussed the situation with him. "She was born premature, and she was too small to survive. It is a miracle she's lived this long."

"But my lady, don't you think it would be better if she lived a full life as opposed to a long one?"

"I see your concern Guy, but there is no way for you to understand. The doctors all say she has a better chance to gain strength if she doesn't have to exert herself. All the best doctors from the cities in Kimlasca have seen her. Even doctors from Sheridan cannot help her."

"Have you tried Belkend, I've heard they have the best doctors anywhere…"

"Yes, but Belkend is under Malkuth's control. I cannot trust them not to murder my daughter instead of curing her. Thank you for your concern, but we've tried everything."

Guy left with new resolve. The excitement at visitors. The love for her brother. The life that filled her eyes, though her body was weak. She was only two, she should have more of a life than that room. That was when Guy knew.

He was going to help her. He would find some way to help the weak young girl everyone pitied. And he would stop at nothing until she was well. He couldn't explain it yet, but it was something he had to do.

A/N: So this is chapter two. It was the hardest chapter to write, since I'm not too sure how young kids act anymore. The kids I baby-sit are all older than that, and Luke being a noble, and Guy being so mature… it was really difficult. There will probably be spoilers in the next 

chapter, for Guy's past and stuff. I've been trying to hold off the spoilers, but they're ready to come spilling out.

I'm also looking for someone to read my chapters before I put them up. I'm only a little over halfway through the game, and I'd like someone to check for continuity or grammatical errors and such. So if you'd like to help, please email me or say so in a review. Thanks so much!

Thanks, and sorry for so many notes! Love, The Chosen


	3. Chapter 3

First, a _HUGE _thanks to my new beta readers, LinkCanKillGanon and AtomicScribble. This started out not very good, and hopefully, it'll be easier and more enjoyable to read now that it's been edited and I've gotten their wonderful comments!

Sorry if the last two chapters were hard to read, FanFiction took my page breaks out. It's been fixed, so if you wanna go back, the sudden changes in setting should make sense.

Disclaimer: I don't own it! Anything.

Thanks! Love, Chosen

Tales of the Alyss

Chapter 3

It was Alyss's eighth birthday, and life went much like it had the past years. She was even allowed to walk around the manor for a time, but never for more than an hour at a time. After the hour was up, she would be found and escorted back to her room.

Two years ago, her parents had given in and hired tutors for her. Her mother was the most reluctant due to so much change, but Alyss had lived longer than anyone had thought she would. They couldn't keep depriving her of lessons; she would have to be educated eventually.

To everyone's surprise, she was already quite knowledgeable. She knew almost everything they taught her, and she always requested more challenging material. Little did everyone know that Luke and Guy had been sneaking into the young girl's room the whole time. Luke often played games with her, and when she got tired, they got worried and made her lie down. She would ask them to tell her stories, and they'd oblige, telling her about the history of Kimlasca, of ancient kings and of noble heroes.

Alyss had grown up to be a bright girl. She was observant, having the ability to tell when something was bothering someone; and she could tell when they were hiding something. She was also cheerful: She was never found without a smile on her face.

On her eighth birthday, she was escorted to the courtyard, where everyone was waiting for her. This was her first birthday party that wasn't held in her room; that alone was cause for celebration.

Luke and Guy were there, right in the center of the courtyard, where a huge cake waiting for her. As she was led into the courtyard, everyone began singing.

"Happy birthday, dear Alyss…"

When the song was done, Luke ran forward and hugged her, shoving a small box into her hands. Susanne moved to stand behind her in order to make sure she wasn't feeling ill as Alyss opened the box. Inside she found a necklace with a small blue jewel attached.

Alyss was speechless. "Luke… how?" She knew her brother wasn't allowed outside too often, so how had he come by such a beautiful gift?



Luke grinned sheepishly. "Well, I told Guy what I wanted to get you, and when he took his break like he usually does, he got it for me! Do you like it?"

Alyss was beaming. "I love it, Luke!" She ran and almost tackled him with a hug. Guy took a week off every other month. No one knew where he went; Alyss and Luke had spent many a day sitting on her bed guessing. Alyss was suddenly very grateful to Guy and his mysterious week.

Alyss giggled when she saw Guy. As usual, he was standing a few feet away, grinning sheepishly at her. "Happy birthday, Mistress Alyss," he managed. After six years, Guy was still uncomfortable around her. No… not just her, but all girls. Alyss thought it was cute, but often wondered the reasoning behind his fears. She'd like to help him if she could. Guy was kind to her, after all.

Even her cousin and uncle came! Alyss didn't get to see them much, but she always looked forward to Natalia's visits. Natalia was always expected to act like a noble: polite and proper. However, when the princess came by for one of her short visits, she would put aside her usually grown-up ways to play house and dress up with her younger cousin.

Once the applause had died down and she had been given a fair amount of hugs and congratulatory pats on the back, she blew out the candles on her cake. She knew that everyone worried about her too much, especially her mother and Luke, so she wished for them to get a break. They needed a rest from the doctors and nurses and always checking that she was still alive.

She wanted her family to be happy.

The cake was then cut and distributed among the guests. Everyone spoke and laughed while they ate. When everyone was finished, Alyss was given presents. The stack of brightly colored boxes that covered the table next to where the cake sat was almost as tall as she was! Guy pulled present by present down off the top of the stack to had to Luke, who in turn, excitedly ran them over to Alyss. Alyss opened the gifts, said an awkward thanks to the giver, and moved to the next Luke provided for her. She received several new dresses from her mother, toys from Uncle and Natalia, and a collection of books from Guy. There were many gifts from the other guests as well.

The last part of the party was by far the best.

There were musicians, and while they played, guests danced. Alyss had never been to a dance before.

Luke ran up to her. "Alyss, wanna dance?"

"But… I've never danced before…"

"C'mon, it doesn't matter! Let's go!" Luke smiled and dragged his younger sister into a fast-paced dance. They spun, twirled, and glided among other dancers. Alyss felt wonderful, like she had never felt before. She felt free and she felt like a normal girl. Her skirts flew around her as they spun.

Her chest felt tight.



She opened her mouth to ease her breathing as she circled back to Luke. She was panting by the time she stood in front of him, and she was reminded all to well of why she had never been dancing.

Luke knew it had been a bad idea; he always worried too much about her.

"Alyss! I'm so sorry… Oh, Alyss, are you okay?"

"I'm fine… Luke. Yes, I-I'm… sure. Just let… me… rest for a… bit." Alyss sat in the grass and watched the dance go on from the shade of her favorite tree.

Luke plopped down beside her. "I'm so sorry, sometimes I don't even think about your condition… You're so happy all the time, it's easy to get caught up in the moment." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, checking to make sure she wasn't upset. "But wasn't it great for Mother and Uncle to plan this party? I wonder where they found the musicians, they're really good… it's too bad Father can't be here, although that's pretty normal…" He smiled and continued talking, trying to cheer Alyss up.

Alyss stopped listening to her brother's rambling. All the adults could dance so well… She soon became absorbed in the swirling dresses and the rhythm of the band.

Then, across the courtyard, she saw two figures.

They had just passed through the hall, and stopped right in front of the window. It looked like they were having an argument. One had short blond hair—that would be Guy. But the other was someone she'd never seen before. He was tall and had dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. He looked to be about twenty or so.

Alyss, wondering why they hadn't come to the party, stood up to cross the courtyard. Hadn't they been invited? Guy had just been there; when did he leave?

And who was this other man? He gave her an uneasy feeling.

"Alyss, what's going on?"

But Guy and the other man had crossed into the courtyard. They met Alyss halfway.

"Happy birthday, Alyss!" Guy smiled and bowed to her.

"Yes, happy birthday, indeed! Already eight, my lady?" The older man bowed even deeper.

"Thank you…"

"Ha ha! Master Van, you came!" Luke ran up to the older man. "Alyss, this is Master Van, he teaches me sword fighting! I've told you about him, right? And Master, this is my sister, Alyss."

"Yes, yes, and I've heard all about you, of course." Van said, turning toward Alyss.

"Thank you for coming, sir, I hope you're enjoying the party."



Van turned and smiled at Guy before Luke started talking. "So Master, how long are you here for?"

Guy came up behind Alyss and cleared his throat. Alyss spun around and stared.

He smiled nervously and held up his hands. "Sorry, my lady, I didn't mean to startle you. It's getting late… we should head in." The party was far from over, but for the Duke's sickly daughter, it wouldn't go on any longer. "Come Alyss, I'll see you to your room."

As she and Guy headed to her room, she turned to look back at the party one last time. She spotted her mother looking far more tired than she herself was, her brother talking animatedly to his sword instructor, and Master Van, looking thoughtfully after her.

That night, Alyss heard a strange noise outside her window. Often during the summer, animals would cross the yard making odd noises as they did, but it was late fall now, and the footsteps outside were much too loud to be an animal. Her heart was suddenly racing. Who was out there? She wanted to find out what was going on, but she was petrified. What if she got out of bed and was attacked? She pulled back the covers of her bed, prepared to tough it out, but the noises stopped.

As her heartbeat slowed, she fell asleep, suddenly overcome with the burdens of the day. If she had stayed awake a little while longer, she would've heard a hushed conversation going on right under her window.

"Sir, what now?" The first voice was a young woman's voice.

"You head to the boy's room, and don't be seen. Take him to Choral Castle, and I'll bring the replica when I'm done. I'll message you when and where to meet next." This voice belonged to a man, and if Alyss had been awake, she would know just whose voice it was.

It felt like just a few minutes later when she woke up to a hand pressed against her mouth.

"I have no intention of harming you, Alyss Fabre, but make one noise, and I might change my mind."

Alyss nodded. It was dark, very dark, and she could not see the man threatening her now, but she knew his voice. It was the same voice that had sent shivers up her spine at her party.

Van Grants was in her room.

"Come with me Alyss, we're leaving here. Take this bag and fill it with clothes. Nothing too fancy, you'll only give yourself away. Not to mention what a burden those frilly dresses would be to carry." Van chuckled at his own joke, but Alyss didn't even smile. "I'll give you five minutes, so don't make any noise."

Alyss hurried and did as she was told. What was going to happen to her? What this a joke? She hoped that it was; she didn't want to leave. She was nervous and she couldn't stop her 

heart beating in her throat. She packed the bag and then went to Van. He was standing by the door and when Alyss was finished, he reached for the doorknob.

"Oh!" She exclaimed and raced back to her bed. She reached under it and grabbed a purple Cheagle doll. She held it tight as Van grabbed her other hand and pulled her silently down the hall.

The doll gave her comfort; it reminded her of the security of her home, of her friends. It had been a present from Guy for her fifth birthday—it reminded her of him. And of Luke, when he had teased her for still liking and carrying around a doll.

As they got into the carriage that was waiting for them, Alyss let a tear fall silently down her cheek. Her wish had come true, but not in the slightest way she expected.

"Happy Birthday, Alyss," she told herself. "You got your wish."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: After a bit of a hiatus, I'm back! I finally beat the game, so I'm really excited to be continuing this now that I know what happens! I changed the name, from Tales of the Alyss (because I thought it sounded lame after a few months) to I Only Want To Be With You. I'm still not entirely satisfied with this title, so if anyone has any ideas… they'd be much appreciated. I've also got a revamped summary that tells a little more accurately what this is really about.

Thanks so much to everyone who kept this on their favorites and alerts through the hiatus, and I hope you won't be disappointed. And also, welcome to anyone who is reading this now for the first time. I hope you're enjoying it!

And the biggest thanks of all goes to AtomicScribble for being willing to take this on again! She's a wonderful beta, and I'd die without all of her corrections. So thanks a TON!

Enjoy chapter 4

* * *

Alyss awoke in a strange room. Had she been out of the manor before, she would have recognized the plain walls and generic bedsheets as an inn; however, everything looked foreign, strange to her naive eyes. She recognized nothing, save for the bag at the end of the bed. The bag was her last hold on the mansion. Alyss didn't know when she would be able to go back; from now on, she would have to live with the foreign rooms and cities.

She clutched her stuffed cheagle to her chest as it struck her: she hadn't ever left the mansion. The room she had spent the last eight years in, the people she had come to know and love, were all back in Baticul. She didn't even know where she was.

She panicked. How would she get home if she didn't know where home was? She buried her head into her cheagle as tears started to fall. Her cheagle even smelled like home. It smelled of Guy, it smelled of Luke, and it smelled of all of the lunches she wouldn't be spending with them anymore.

What would Luke do? Her brother would be devastated, she knew that much. Luke was childish: he would storm around, upset, demanding that he be allowed to search for Alyss, however unrealistic that was...but then he might blame himself for not protecting her, for not seeing he evil in his teacher before it was too late.

Father would send a search party, and they would eventually find her; Kimlascan soldiers never failed in a matter of such importance, after all. But she had to prepare herself for whatever Van had in store for her, even if Father's search party failed. She must even be prepared to die at his hands.

Oh, and Mother. She was weak enough already… what would she do when she discovered her sick daughter had been abducted in the middle of the night? Surely her health would only suffer more! Alyss was determined to survive, at least until she knew that her mother would be all right. Her tears became quicker as she realized that she had no way of knowing what was ahead of her. Try as she might, she could make herself no promises.

Guy...Guy was more difficult to read. Alyss had always liked Guy, ever since she'd met him six years ago. He had come to visit her, even when Luke had lessons, given her gifts that she cherished, taught her many things before her parents had decided to give her lessons, and he had comforted her, even when everyone had said she would die soon.

But Guy had never shown anything more than a servent's attention to his Lady. He always bowed to her, called her by her titles instead of her name, and spoke with polite, careful words. She didn't know if Guy would even care if she was gone. Alyss considered her and Guy to be close; they were friends, at least. He was like a second brother to her, but Guy was different than Luke. Luke would run up and hug her, talk to her excitedly, and while it may be a difference in personality, Guy still seemed reserved. Somehow, she found herself wishing he was worrying for her.

Alyss smiled through her tears. She was being silly! Nothing like that mattered anymore. It was likely she wouldn't see any of them ever again… she might even die soon. Although she had no idea what her fate might be, she wanted to live long enough to see her family again.

Van entered the room. "So you're finally awake. Good. Hurry now, we must get a boat to Belkend right away."

"Bel…kend?"

During one of her lessons with Guy, he had showed Alyss a map of Auldrant. He had pointed to Baticul. "That's where we are. Your uncle is the King of Kimlasca, and the capital, Baticul, is where his castle is." He had showed her many major cities, Malkuthian and Kimlascan. When he got to Belkend, Guy had proceeded to tell her about fomicry and the fontech related research they did. Alyss didn't understand it all, but she could tell that the technology made Guy happy. His eyes lit up, and so Alyss had listened to Guy talk.

"Yes Alyss, grab your things. We have appointments to keep."

_Where are we? And what will be awaiting us in Belkend?_ Alyss thought. As she grabbed her bag from the floor, she pondered asking Van.

"Uh… Van?"

"Yes, Alyss?"

"Um… where are we?"

"We're in a village on the coast a little ways from Baticul. We must get a boat to take us to Belkend Port." He spoke politely, but she didn't want to run the risk of irritating him with tons of questions.

_Who knows what Van's planning, and if I irritate him, he might kill me faster!_ she thought.

The day was going to be hot. The room was cold during the night: she had woken up shivering more than once. Now that the sun was glaring through the window, the room felt like it was on fire. Alyss changed into a light blue, plain dress, so she would be inconspicuous, yet cool.

_It's so hot! Must I wear this? If I do, I'll die of a heat stroke! I know Van doesn't want anyone to recognize me, but the heat will give me an excuse. Maybe without the cloak Uncle's guards will notice me!_ Alyss thought, picking up the cloak Van had bought for her. She kept her hair down, bangs falling over her eyes.

She looked down as they walked, keeping an eye on Van's feet as they left the inn. _There are so many people in this small village! Why won't anyone give us a second glance? _she wondered. Surely the maids at home had noticed by now that she wasn't there when the rest of the house awoke! How had all of the security been so relaxed so far?

Was anyone even looking for her?

* * *

In the middle of the night, Luke woke up to a woman sneaking around his room. Wondering what she was doing, he sat motionless for a few seconds. After looking around for a little while, she headed toward his bed in the middle of the room. Luke sat upright, panicked, and when he started to scream, she knocked him upside the head with a pistol. He had passed out; collapsed in a heap on his bed, motionless.

He woke up in a dark, stone room. He tried to sit up, but he was bound at the wrists and ankles. He was so confused: who was that woman, and what was she doing in his room? More importantly, where was he 

now? Luke squirmed a little bit, trying to see more of his surroundings, but quickly gave up. The ground was hard: moving was painful and cost him a lot of energy.

Luke didn't have much time to think about his predicament: A door at the end of the room opened. A young woman with blonde hair pulled into a bun came into the room.

"Oh, so you're awake." She strode over, her heeled shoes making noises on the hard stone floor as she walked.

"What do you want from me?" Luke yelled. He could feel his blood growing hot, the vein in his temple throbbing. He struggled to free himself from his bindings, but to no avail. The harder he fought, the more tired he became, and it didn't look like the woman was going to assist him in any way

"We had orders to bring you here. You're going to become one of us."

"One of you?! Who are you?"

"We are the God-Generals; our leader is your Master Van. However, that's all that I can tell you now. You'll have to wait for the others to get here."

She untied his feet and led the young noble down a flight of stairs, leaving Luke to wonder what his teacher had to do with his abduction. They entered a large hall, with a long table in the center. On the table sat a blunt looking practice sword. There was a large, dark haired man at the other end waiting for Luke.

The man looked at the woman who called herself a God-General. She stepped aside.

"Here is the boy, Largo."

He gave a small nod, and she untied Luke. The man then nodded at the table, and the sword that waited on top of it.

Luke followed the man's gaze and stared at the table and sword for a moment. _What the hell am I supposed to be doing, anyway? They kidnap me, bring me here, and expect me to read their minds! _Luke thought.

"Master Luke…let's begin your training."

* * *

Alyss never knew that a boat could lurch and sway so much.

When she had seen the boat in the harbor, she pictured the ships from the books that Guy had shown her back at the manor. She was excited, jumping around once they were let on deck. Once the ship left port however, Alyss was forced into the cabin. The moving and the rocking… she felt sick. She laid on a bunk, and tried not to think about it. In the end, holding her cheagle and thinking of her family and the manor, she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

It seemed only a few minutes later, however, when Alyss was being awakened. A guard stood over her, prodding her gently with his finger.

"My lady, Van has called for you to come up to the deck. We'll be arriving at port any minute."

Alyss stood as the guard left, washed her face in the basin in the corner of her room, and smoothed out her dress. She was sure she only looked halfway presentable, but it couldn't be helped now. _I wonder what Van wants_, she thought, _I was just starting to feel better, too. But from what that guard said, I won't have to put up with this seasickness much longer. _

She grabbed her small pack and hurried out the door; with a little help from random soldiers, she found her way up to the deck. Alyss found Van in no time.

"Feeling better?"

"Not really…" Alyss shrugged and cocked her head to the side. When she looked back up at Van and the smile on his lips, she realized that he was poking fun at her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes. "So, what are we going to Belkend for again?"

"Hmmm… I don't see why I can't tell you…I was ordered to bring you here to have tests done. Doctors here have wanted to see you for a while knowing that Kimlascan doctors couldn't heal you, so this is their chance."

"What sorts of tests?" _And ordered? Who would order Van to bring me here? And why would someone risk so much just to let the doctors get a hold of me? _Alyss wondered, but she quickly gave up on any hopes that he might tell her if she asked; he had been hesitant to tell her that much.

"I'm not sure…" Van shrugged. "I don't suppose it'll be anything too bad. They'll probably just draw blood and wait for results to come back."

Alyss's eyes widened. She'd had her blood drawn plenty of times. The doctors that came to the manor always seemed to want more of her blood. But as for the thought of more complicated procedures… She imagined herself strapped to a cart, struggling to get free, as doctors slowly got closer to her with all kinds of scary looking objects. Alyss shivered.

Van stopped talking as the boat came to port, and he led Alyss ashore. They walked along the road to the city; Van was sure to avoid any monsters or threatening humans. As they wound their way through the city, Alyss was nervous. She didn't know what being a test subject entailed, but she refused to let her kidnappers see her weakness.

Together, they climbed steps and walked over metal grating through the streets. Everywhere she looked, there were men and women in lab coats, carrying notebooks and sometimes heavy looking equipment. Some paid no attention to where they were going, jotting down notes or discussing theories with colleagues, so it was no surprise that no one noticed the tough looking man, and the little girl running to keep up with him.

After a while, they came to a large metal door, which Van quickly opened. There was a square white room, with a door on each wall. Van must have been here before, because to Alyss, all of the rooms looked the same. She would surely be lost if Van wasn't dragging her along.

After several twists and turns, they entered a room with a large chair in the center, and all kinds of medical equipment. A man wearing a white lab coat stood to greet them. Van went over to him and spoke in rushed whispers. Alyss only caught a little of what they said. Things like, "So that's her, eh?" and "Hmm… I see," made her wonder even more about Van's motives.

When they had finished, Van left without a word to Alyss. He seemed preoccupied, distant, almost cold. Watching his back as he exited the room, she felt like she was being left behind like so many other times in her life.

She wondered if he'd be coming back.

* * *

Luke picked up the practice sword from the table. He stared at it for a second, but in that second, the large man called Largo had already crossed the room. Luke jumped back and looked up. The man's sword was drawn, and he was still running at him.

Luke put up the practice sword and tried to parry. Suddenly, he forgot everything that Master Van had taught him. He thought he was going to die! He had no strategy, so he tried to dodge and use his size to his advantage. He was much smaller than the other man, so he tried running around him to land some hits into Largo's back. But the older man was clearly more experienced. After trying to slash and hack his was past Largo, he turn to more evasive actions. He ran. He could tell that this was some kind of test, from the way he was offered a sword, and from the woman's words earlier.

_Oh yeah… where did that woman go?_

He scanned the room, dividing his attention between his search and dodging Largo's attacks. After looking around the room, he spotted her in a corner, shaking with silent laughter. But… why was she laughing? Luke was about to be killed!

Luke whipped around, preparing for another onslaught. Largo now stood a few steps back, shaking his head as if in disappointment.

"How pathetic. You'll need more training than I thought…so you're Luke? The Duke's son?"

Luke nodded.

"Well… not anymore. You can't use that name now. 'The Light of the Sacred Flame' you once were. Now there will be a new flame for Kimlasca. All that are left here are the ashes."

Luke gave him a confused glare. _Why can't I use my name? And what ashes? But… new flame? Does that mean someone's going to replace me? Why the hell isn't anyone making any sense?!_

"You will now be known as Asch. Asch the Bloody, the newest God-General. You will wait here with Legretta for your Master. He will make you worthy of your title."

* * *

A/N: Hopefully you will all review, because I love knowing what people think. Even if you think this is the worst story ever, please let me know (though nicely, please ). I love feedback!

I'll be working on chapter 5!

Love, Chosen


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